Ingredients
Soup
- 500 gundyed smoked haddock
- 500 mlwhole milk
- 500 mlwater
- 1bay leaf
- 1onion, finely chopped
- 500 gfloury potatoes, diced
- 50 gbutter
- black pepper
- salt, if needed
To serve
- chopped chives or parsley
- bread and butter
Directions
- Use undyed smoked haddock. The bright yellow fillets are dyed rather than properly smoked, and they give a soup that tastes faintly of colouring.
- Put the haddock in a wide pan with the milk, water and bay leaf and bring it to a bare simmer.
- Poach for 4 to 5 minutes only, then lift the fish out and set it aside, keeping every drop of the poaching liquid.
- Flake the fish, checking carefully for bones and discarding the skin.
- Soften the onion in the butter for 10 minutes without letting it colour.
- Add the diced potato and the strained poaching liquid and simmer for 15 minutes, until the potato is completely soft.
- Mash some of the potato into the soup and leave the rest in pieces. Cullen skink is thickened by potato alone: no flour, no roux and no cream.
- Return the flaked fish and heat it through for 2 minutes without letting it boil.
- Taste before adding any salt at all. Smoked haddock brings a great deal of it and most pots need none.
- Grind over black pepper, scatter with chives, and serve with bread and butter.
Technique
- It comes from Cullen on the Moray Firth, and skink is an old Scots word for a shin, or a soup made from one, borrowed here for fish.
- Finnan haddie, cold-smoked over peat, is the traditional fish and it is worth the search.
- Do not boil it once the fish is back in. Smoked haddock goes woolly very quickly.
Substitutions
- Smoked cod or smoked pollock, both of which work well.
- A splash of cream at the end, which is common and which purists dislike.
Variations
- Blended smooth, which some Scottish hotels serve and Cullen would not.
- With a poached egg set in the middle of the bowl.
- With leeks softened alongside the onion.
History
A smoked haddock, potato and onion soup from Cullen on the Moray Firth, built on locally cured Finnan haddie.
Frequently asked questions
What is Cullen skink?
Cullen skink is a soup & stew from United Kingdom: scottish smoked haddock, potato, and onion soup. A smoked haddock, potato and onion soup from Cullen on the Moray Firth, built on locally cured Finnan haddie.
How long does Cullen skink take to make?
Cullen skink takes 15 min of preparation and 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Cullen skink?
Yes, within limits. Smoked cod or smoked pollock, both of which work well. A splash of cream at the end, which is common and which purists dislike.
What is the most important thing to get right in Cullen skink?
Use undyed smoked haddock. The bright yellow fillets are dyed rather than properly smoked, and they give a soup that tastes faintly of colouring.
